Vol. 10 · Portmanteaus ·Late 20th century ·1945
Sheeple
sheep people
- Meaning
- People who follow the crowd uncritically — derogatory.
- Source words
- sheep + people
- Coined by
- Ernest Haycox
- Year
- 1945
Background
First used in Haycox's Western novel *Bugles in the Afternoon*. Popularised in the 1980s by radio host Bill Cooper; entered Merriam-Webster in 2017.
Late 20th century
Marketing, media, and the early internet. Infomercial, emoticon, workaholic — the coinages name phenomena of mass media and white-collar life. Several predate the decades they're associated with.
Two words, one coinage.
Browse every portmanteau on the shelf — or cross over to the loanwords atlas.